St. Patrick’s Dayis upon us. Held on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration that, for some, commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish. The holiday has become a major celebration not just in Ireland but in various parts of the globe, particularly North America where this is a large Irish population and heritage.
Like any holiday, there are traditions that come with it like food and parades. Also like every holiday there tend to be movies that go well with the celebration. Unlike Christmas, which is a holiday but also a particular genre of movie, there aren’t Saint Patrick’s Day movies but more movies that go well with the holiday. Ones that typically put aspotlight on Ireland or Irish traditionsand people. Here are the ten movies to watch on St. Patrick’s Day to go along with a serving of corned beef, cabbage, and Guinness.
Darby O’Gill and the Little People
Darby O’Gill and the Little Peopleis a 1959 fantasy adventure film and one of those fascinating entries inDisney’s early attempts at live-actionfilmmaking. The movie is filled with classic figures of Irish folklore like leprechauns, pookas, and banshees.
Walt Disney was inspired to make the movie after a trip to Ireland with the Irish Folk Commission. The film also features a young Sean Connery three years before he would play James Bond inDr. No. Yes, it is odd to cast it Scottish actor like Connery in a movie set in Ireland.
Belfastis a 2021 film directed by Kenneth Branagh that very much was a personal story for the filmmaker and is semi-autobiographical. The movie follows a young boy’s early childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1969 during the beginning of The Troubles. This period saw a conflict over the status of Ireland with the mostly Protestant Loyalists wanting to remain in the United Kingdom while the Irish Nationalists which was primarily catholic wanted Northern Ireland to leave the UK and join a United Ireland.
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Belfastdoes not dig deep into the conflict and explores it more through the eyes of a young boy and how this event impacts his family and what it will mean for his future. The movie is heartfelt and feels good and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Best Original Screenplay.
In the Name of the Father
In the Name of the Fatheris one of twoDaniel Day-Lewis movieson this list. Directed by Jim Sheridan,In the Name of the Fatheris based on the true story of the Guildford Four, individuals who were falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed four off-duty British soldiers and a civilian.
The four were accused of beingmembers of the Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA. The movie is a heavy drama but an important one that does highlight an injustice done by the United Kingdom out of fear and one that has never been rectified.
Leprechaun
A go-to for many on St. Patrick’s Day is of course the horror movieLeprechaun. Leprechauns are mythical creatures of Irish folklore. While the movie is not connected to the holiday itself, it has become a tradition the same way that other holiday horror movies have likeHalloween,Trick R Treat,Silent Night Deadly Night,Black Christmas, andEli Roth’s upcomingThanksgiving.Leprechaunalso features a young Jennifer Aniston one year before she would become famous for the part of Rachel onFriends.
The Luck of the Irish
For many millennials,The Luck of the Irishwas the go-to St. Patricks Day and likely the introduction to some elements of Irish folklore. It has a classic high concept, silly Disney Channel Original Movie plot, but what makes it unique is, unlikeBelfastorDary O’Gill and the Little People,The Luck of the Irishis about the Irish-American experience. It’s about a young boy learning and accepting his heritage and highlighting the aspect of America as a melting pot where different cultures can co-exist alongside one another.
The Secret of Kells
Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation studio that has made some incredible films andThe Secret of Kellsis one of their most Irish. The movie is heavily influenced by Irish mythology and the movie is a story of the origin of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament located in Dublin.
The movie is gorgeously animated and has a nice calm demeanor to it and kickstarted a thematic trilogy from Cartoon Saloon calledThe Irish Folklore Trilogywhich continued with 2014’sSong of the Seaand 2020’sWolfwalkers.
The Banshees of Inisherin
The most recent film on the list is the Academy Award-nominatedThe Banshees of Inisherin. Starring some of the best Irish actors like Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan the movie is set against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War and follows the break-up of two friends. With plenty of Irish slang and heavy accents that one might need subtitles to fully understand,The Banshees of Inisherinis one of the most Irish movies ever made.
Sing Street
Sing Streetis a delightful film by Irish filmmaker John Carney. Set in Ireland in the 1980s, the movie follows a young man who forms a band with his new classmates to impress a girl.Sing Streetis a feel-good story that captures the optimism of youth. It is a showcase for some great young talent and a great soundtrack makes Sing Street an easy recommendation and a pleasant watch for any time of the year.
The Departed
The Departedmight not be about Ireland, but it is about Boston, where descendants of Irish immigrants make up the largest ethnic group by 15.8% of the population. The story of an Irish Mob boss sending a spy within the Massachusets state police, while the police department also sends in a rat to the Irish Mob and both sides trying to discover the identity of the other is an engaging crime saga.
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The movie is notable for being the film that finally won Martin Scorsese his first (and only) Best Director Oscar and also won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It is hard to watchThe Departedand not be talking with a Boston accent afterward while blasting Floggy Molly’s “Shipping You Up To Boston.”
Gangs of New York
Another entry from Martin Scorsese and another film starring Daniel Day-Lewis,Gangs of New Yorkwas a passion project years in the making. Set in 1863, the movie sees a feud between the Protestant American native descendants and the Catholic Irish immigrants. What makesGangs of New Yorksuch an ideal movie for St. Patrick’s Day is that it’s about Irish identity and Irish American immigrants. The role they played in the formation of New York and in America
Descendants of Irish immigrants have different relationships and histories than native citizens of Ireland. The classic corn beef and cabbage meal is more of an Irish-American tradition than one in Ireland.Gangs of New York’spowerful ending shot of a modern New York rising up with the old being buried underneath it is a reminder of what came before and to not forget those that built and shaped the world we live in now.
